United Utilities / 1st Credit

Davitz · 20th December 2007, 13:31

Hi there,

I have received a couple of phone calls from 1st Credit over the last few days. They asked me for my date of birth and my mother's maiden name. When I asked why they wanted these details they said that they were a debt collection agency. At that point I told them that I wasan't interested in talking to them and hung up.

This morning I have received a letter from them demanding money which is not due, as I pay weekly on a PayPoint card. This however is not my problem. What I need to know is whether they are allowed to pass sensitive personal information to another company without my permission. Are they in breach of the Data Protection Act? If so, is there anything I can do about it?

Thanks for reading this. Any information would be gratefully received.

Davitz

2Grumpy · 20th December 2007, 18:32

They may be searching for a person with your name and, having found you, started with their usual script. They probably have somebody else's details!

If they keep on bothering you, there are several letters in the debt collectors forum for telling them where to go.

Grumpy

Davitz · 20th December 2007, 21:57

Hi Grumpy. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know that these vultures are acting on behalf of United Utilities, and admit openly that I am a little in debt with them. This is why I pay them £8 a week. I can soon sort that one out. My problem is the fact that my sensitive information, i.e. date of birth and mother's maiden name, have been passed to a third party without my consent. This information could be used to access other things, such as my credit card account or PayPal etc. Surely this cannot be legal? Anybody know the ins & outs of the Data Protection Act?

Cheers

2Grumpy · 21st December 2007, 09:16

Even though this is for a utility bill, you might be better off posting in the debt collectors forum where you will get advice from people who know about these things and how best to deal with them

As far as Data Protection Act is concerned, they probably have rights to pass on as much info as neccessary to collect the bill. Having said that, the dca might start adding mothers maiden name/dob to their records when you supply it the first time, or get it from a CRA.

Good luck

Grumpy

Davitz · 21st December 2007, 12:16

Thanks Grumpy I'll do that.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you.

Regards

Davitz

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